DBD International, headed by David Brier, Google's #1 rebranding expert and bestselling author

Write the follow-up to Brand Intervention, also an Amazon #1 bestseller.

🚀 My new book is officially here—and it’s already making waves.  

Just a couple of days ago, **RICH BRAND POOR BRAND: How to Unleash Your David in a World of Goliaths** hit the shelves, and within HOURS, it became:  
🎯 **#1 in New Releases**  
🎯 **#1 Bestseller on Amazon**  

This isn’t just another book—it’s a movement.  

As the follow-up to my bestselling *Brand Intervention,* this book is a game-changer for founders, CEOs, and entrepreneurs who want more than a good brand—they want a **rich brand.**  

With a foreword by Claude Silver of VaynerX and insights from legends like Warren Buffett, Sara Blakely, Gary Vaynerchuk, Brené Brown, and even Billy Joel, this is a masterclass in building a thriving brand culture.  

Here’s why this book matters:  

🔑 **Rich Brand Poor Brand** unveils the secret sauce to crafting a brand that leads, inspires, and lasts.  

🔑 It’s packed with stunning visuals and a 46-page **Rich Brand Poor Brand Playbook** full of real-world transformations.  

💡 So, what’s a rich brand?  
It’s NOT about size, industry, or location.  
It’s about CULTURE—the oxygen your company breathes.  

The simple truth:  
👉 Your brand lives *out there,* but it comes to life *in here*—with your people, your values, and your story.  

This isn’t just a book; it’s a call to action.  

🗓 If you haven’t grabbed your copy yet, now’s the time.  

Join the revolution and discover why Daymond John called it:  
**“Genius.”**  

💬 “Your brand lives out there. But it comes to life in here.”  

Get your copy now, and let’s start building brands that truly matter.  

Because brilliance isn’t just a goal—it’s the standard.

Author: RICH BRAND POOR BRAND

Insatiable urge to help brands defy gravity to achieve brand elevation to avoid the "6 feet under" program that goes with brand deflation

Chief Gravity Defyer

As the recipient of over 300 industry awards, I am the Creative Director of DBD International whose job it is to help brands defy gravity and rise above the noise. 

Areas of specialization include:
     • Brand analysis
     • Brand strategy
     • Name and slogan development
     • Logo design
     • Package design
     • Destination branding
     • Tourism branding
     • Lifestyle brand design and execution
     • Brand revitalization
     • Brand rollout campaigns

Under my direction, clients across the US and internationally have seen the power of design and its ability to help products, events and services rise above the noise. In addition to writing widely published articles, David has authored of a number of books on design and typography along with many articles covering branding, packaging, design and what it means to change the world, one brand at a time.

President/Creative Director

Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center

• Global keynote speaking engagements on Branding, Rebranding, and Startup Strategy, reaching audiences worldwide.
• Generated over $7 billion in sales through impactful presentations on Disruption, Category Creation, and Brand Strategy.
• Leveraged expertise to inspire and educate audiences on the power of effective brand storytelling and strategy.

Keynote Speaker

Do This Instead Newsletter

Join 7,000+ followers of Do This Instead for actionable branding insights and case studies from someone who has actually done it, generating over $7b in revenue for companies of all sizes.

Writer

Brand Intervention : 33 Steps to Transform the Brand You Have into the Brand You Need

Brand Intervention, 33 Steps to Transform The Brand You Have into the Brand You Need, is the first book written for CEOs, entrepreneurs, brands, and startups that don't have time to read a book on branding.  
You and your brand are a revolution waiting to happen. This book was written to provide the tools to get your brand seen, heard, and ready to change the world written and designed by award-winning brand expert and rebranding specialist David Brier, the recipient of over 325 international awards and ranked #3 worldwide for branding by Klout.

This is why David Brier wrote and designed Brand Intervention.  

It doesn't read like any other book. It's faster.  

Inside, it doesn't look like any other book on branding. It's shows instead of tells. 

It is full-color throughout, with 290 pages of straight talk on marketing and branding for real. You find out what triggers sales, turning buyers into loyal fans.  

Taken from over 30 years of building global brands, regional brands, local brands and startups, this is a no-holds-barred, no-punches-pulled, fat-free compilation of master brander David Brier's gems. 

This may explain why Daymond John, New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Broke, FUBU founder and star of ABC's Shark Tank, wrote the Foreword to this new book and why New York Times bestselling author of The 10X Rule and sales expert Grant Cardone calls Brier "a branding genius" (both Daymond and Grant are Amazon bestsellers in their own right). 

David and his work have been featured in ADWEEK, Forbes, INC, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, Thrive Global, Communication Arts, How magazine, the New York Times and numerous blogs and podcasts.  
David is also the recipient of the Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship medallion, a rare honor amongst business leaders, presented to those who provide insights to entrepreneurs and startups for leadership, marketing, entrepreneurial innovation, and branding excellence. 

Award-winning Author

David Brier Design Works

A design firm specializing in logo design and graphic design packages.

Owner/Founder

I TURN IDEAS INTO BRANDS, EXITS & LEGACIES. 🚀 Slayer of the Mundane 🚀 Author of the #1 Amazon bestseller “BRAND INTERVENTION” responsible for $7B in sales

Ads burn money. A great brand prints it. 

I rebuild brands from the ground up—strategy, story, design, and architecture—so you stop fighting for attention and start commanding it.

I help growth-focused companies sharpen their identity, own their story, and build a brand that scales—without the ad waste.

After building brands for Revlon, Estee Lauder, Jim Henson, and others, I quit.

I have no time for indecision and being a layer or two away from gold.

The first billion-dollar brand I built started out with zero sales, and just a really driven founder.

His vision was about shaping an idea into an empire. It was about watching a dream soar.

It's why I love branding. 

I've done the same for a nonprofit, helping generate over $250K in 30 minutes.
Done the same with a city, I rebranded: a 500% increase in tourism in 12 months.

I have done the same for a dog food company, a cybersecurity company, a motorcycle startup, and a beauty brand, and I turned an expedition camper company into a multi-million dollar company in 24 months (during the pandemic).

Branding is like being an explorer, a detective, and a magician all at once: each day is a new adventure.

When I’m brought in to help build a company, I don’t offer a silver bullet. 

I offer a branding arsenal. Forged in the fires of countless campaigns, refined by failures, and validated by successes.

And the most crucial shift during my career? I used to tell stories. Now, I craft legacies. 

Branding is about the imprint we leave behind in the sands of time and the minds of consumers.

It's why I wrote BRAND INTERVENTION, an Amazon #1 bestseller.

That's why I wrote the follow-up, RICH BRAND POOR BRAND, How to Unleash Your David in a World of Goliaths.

It's why the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center has me as one of their speakers.

If you love uncovering the irresistible - that secret sauce that rockets CEOs and their businesses to new heights, subscribe to my newsletter: https://risingabovethenoise.com/landing/modern-brand-secrets/

If you're ready to:

~ be a rebel in a world of conformists, and 
~ feel that magic isn't in the budget but in the belief that we can rewrite the rules...

Let's jump on a discovery call https://DavidBrierCalendar.as.me/IntroductorySession

David Brier

The biggest threat from AI isn't sameness.

It's customers who feel nothing.

Everyone's drunk on the AI Kool-Aid.
AI-centric.
AI-driven.
AI-fueled.

The result? A one-note chorus.

Every brand sounds the same.
Messages flatline.
Human connection? Gone.

In the rush to adopt, 
brands are forgetting the 
fundamental definition of branding:

The art of differentiation.

This is creating a wasteland of emotionally flat marketing.
Messages that have no pulse.
No human connection.

Here's what nobody expected.

Instead of fighting AI, I tackled it differently.

I recently built a brand to combat this exact problem.
It's called ReadingMinds.

The innovation wasn't more AI.
It was adding a layer of emotional intelligence to AI.

Making insights three-dimensional, not two.

The name says it all.
ReadingMinds.
The slogan: "Why guess when you can know?" 

(Yup, a brilliant name for this new company. Instantly distinct for growth leaders and intriguing. One of the superpowers I use when you and I work together.)

Because the antidote to emotionally numb marketing isn't better tech.
It's understanding why people actually buy, cry, and share.

Not sure if your brand is connecting emotionally?

I get that. Many are too close to their brand to nail this.

It's why I offer 20-minute UNcovery calls.
LIVE with me, and you.

Tone-deaf brands become invisible. Fast.
20 minutes with me is better than visiting an exotic spa, without the awkward moments.
https://lnkd.in/gVE56ZfW

P.S. The brands surviving this AI wave?
They're not trying to out-AI the AI.
They're out-humanizing it.

$9bn+ in sales. Make your brand a magnet, not a money pit. I build brands that customers crave. If you're done wasting ad dollars, let's talk.

Most companies chase productivity.

The best protect the humans who create it.

The $9B Truth Nobody Talks About:

Your brand isn't built by algorithms.

It's built by humans who give a damn.

FACT: Disengaged teams build disengaged brands.

We spend millions on tech.
And pennies on understanding people.

That's why I'm sharing 7 milestone books that shift how we elevate our most valuable asset.

The Human-First Library Every Brand Builder Needs:

1. “Good to Great” by Jim Collins
Level 5 Leadership isn't about charisma.
It's about building something that lasts beyond you.

1. “The Culture Code” by Daniel Coyle
How the best teams build trust at scale.
Spoiler: It's not about perks.

1. “Rich Brand Poor Brand” by David Brier
Why some brands become legends while others become landfill.
The blueprint I've used to align teams and bring their brands to life. 

1. “Start With Why” by Simon Sinek
People don't buy what you do.
They buy why you do it.
Still revolutionary 15 years later.

1. “Be Yourself at Work” by Claude Silver
The Chief Heart Officer at VaynerMedia shows why authenticity beats strategy. Every time.

1. “Firms of Endearment” by Raj Sisodia
Companies loved by employees outperform the S&P 500 by 14x.
The data that proves people > profit.

1. “Delivering Happiness” by Tony Hsieh
How Zappos built a billion-dollar brand on one principle:
Make employees happy first.

What These Authors Know That Most Don’t:

Strong brands aren't built on tactics.
They're built on belief.

Not in products.
In people.

The brands winning tomorrow?
They're reading these books today.

While their competition chases the next AI tool.

The Bottom Line:

You can automate everything.
Except giving a damn.

That's still a human superpower.
And always will be.

P.S. These aren't just books.
They're $100M case studies disguised as reading material.
The ROI on a book that changes how you see people?
Infinite.

AI is having the conversations humans used to.

Leaving customers untouched, unseen, unmoved.

What's killing brand loyalty? Two machines talking to an empty room.

Brands are outsourcing their interactions to AI.
Consumers are outsourcing their decisions to AI.

Machine talks to machine.
And the human connection flatlines.

The result is a wasteland of sameness.
Disingenuous, cookie-cutter interactions lacking reality.

The companies that win aren't the ones optimizing for this.
They're the ones who will be the most human.

The problem is that "ingenuity" isn’t found on a spreadsheet crunching numbers.

It will be found by studying what customers say and do.
And spotting what they don't say or do.

The most human brands will win in the long term.

→ A city that implemented my strategy saw a 500% increase in tourism.
→ A client who implemented this added $913K to his bottom line (without any increase in his marketing spend)
→ A B2C client who used my strategy saw a 4X sales increase in 3 months

That's how I'm building brands today.

The fastest way to build an unforgettable brand?

Own a problem — not a prompt.

Everyone's asking how to create a unique voice AI can't replicate.
They're focused on prompts, tone, and personality.

Wrong focus.

The absolute fastest way is to own a problem.
One single problem in the marketplace.

We don't remember people for their skills.
We remember them for the problems they solve.

Period.

When someone asks what you do, don't list services.
State the problem you own.

"You know how brands sound exactly the same? I make them unmistakable."

That's a brand.
That's a soundbite.
That's unforgettable.

When one person is known for one problem, they're irreplaceable.

The problem I solve?

I'm the guy CEOs call when they've 
burned so much cash on marketing, 
their spouses think they have a coke habit.

I'm like the Betty Ford Clinic of branding, 
but with better ROI and no group hugs.

This is how you build a moat between you and the competition.
A moat no competitor can cross.

Because while they're trying to copy your voice,
you're solving problems they haven't even identified yet.

And you better be worth the swim to deliver the solution customers want.

P.S. What problem do you own?
Drop yours below — let's see who owns what.

Need help dialing in on the problem you can own and dominate with? Your breakthrough is one DM away (and is not addictive).

He built a $4.6B tech empire.

And he rarely speaks publicly, until this Thursday.

Stu Sjouwerman, SACP built KnowBe4 into a $4.6 billion security giant.

This isn't another AI panel.
It's two practitioners sharing what actually works.

Roughly 70% are running AI-assisted workflows.

Yet fewer than 15% have built systems 
for ROI, trust, or cross-functional governance. 

We tackle how to fix this.

Exclusive: 
Stu's just written the bible on mastering 
AI to eliminate churn and maximize 
customer happiness. 

Every attendee gets Stu's upcoming book free.

Join us at the Agentic Singularity Summit.

Register free: https://lnkd.in/g87G4E6k

P.S. Stu sold his last company for $4.6 billion.
His next play? Even bigger.
Don't miss this conversation.

#agenticsingularity #agenticgtm #predictions2025

The Artlist Report shook me. 

AI sameness is only half the story. 

87% use AI. 
38% can’t keep up. 
27% have become invisible.

The real casualty? Talented creators.
They're drowning in an ocean of indifference.

And it's not because they lack skill.

The Brutal Math That's Killing Ingenuity:

AI turned everyone into a content factory.
10x the output.
100x the noise.

The 2026 Artlist Trend Report nailed it:
"When the barrier to creating polished work is zero,
the barrier to being memorable is higher than ever."

Translation: Polish became worthless overnight.

The Great Wall of Beige:

The best creators I know are exhausted.
Not from creating.
From competing with machines that never sleep.

And here's what's actually dark:

"The problem we'll soon be facing is user slop, not AI slop.
The tool can execute flawlessly, but it can't fix a bad idea."

We're drowning in perfect executions of terrible concepts.

What The Survivors Know:

The creators still thriving?
We stopped playing the volume game.

Not posting more.
Mattering more.

AI: The Great Magnifier

Weak ideas get weaker faster.
Strong voices get "ripped" instantly.

The Opportunity:

When everyone sounds the same,
being different is your superpower.

This is why I am offering 
a complimentary Brand Audit.

Live with me, 
your brand
and you.

The Brand Expansion Scorecard™:

20 questions.
15 minutes.

I have a few remaining slots in my schedule:
https://lnkd.in/gVE56ZfW

Join me.
Let’s see if you’re sitting on gold.
Learn if you’re the signal or the noise.

https://lnkd.in/gVE56ZfW

P.S. That 27% struggling to stand out?
They're trying to out-AI the AI.
The winners are out-humanizing it.

Grab one of the remaining spots today.

How customers discover you is about to change forever. 

The real winners are betting on this instead: 

Google no longer drives discovery. It taxes it.

Tomorrow: I'm dropping data nobody's talking about.

Data that directly impacts your brand's survival.

• How to optimize for AI citations (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity)
• The data behind hyper-personalization
• Multi-sensory branding trends
• Why brand heritage matters again

It's why 2026 brand discovery will look nothing like 2025.

I include 6 strategies you can implement before your competition wakes up.

The Old Way:

Chasing keywords while AI builds answers.
Fighting for rankings that no longer matter.

Tomorrow's article shows you the new playbook.

Before everyone else figures it out.

Subscribe now: https://lnkd.in/g2zqk58P

Drop opens at 7 AM.

P.S. You can buy more Google ads.
Or be where your customers are.
Who wins that game?

One nugget sampler for your mental taste buds: 
"The microphone didn't make the Beatles sound good. 
The Beatles made the microphone sound good." Thank you Jeremy

AI is not the problem. 

David Brier says it's something much deeper.

AI generated posts.
AI generated comments.
AI is absolutely everywhere.

And it's affecting the way we think.

I just had branding legend David Brier on the program and we dove deep into this problem. He said people are outsourcing their ingenuity, their uniqueness, and their ability to think on their feet. Prompts are replacing original thought, and many creators don't even notice it happening. 

This is a huge problem. 
 
We also talked about LinkedIn. 

David believes the biggest issue is not the algorithm. It is the wave of AI generated posts and comments that all sound the same. When everything blends together, curiosity dies. Creativity weakens. Indifference grows.
 
David also explained why emotion still drives every sale. If people don't feel something, the message never connects with anyone and the real danger in branding is when people feel nothing. 
 
What's your thoughts on AI generated content?

Everyone’s “strategy” for attention?

A carbon copy of the noise customers love to ignore.

The first instinct is to look inward.
Wrong.

They ask:
"How do we convince the world we're different?"
"How do we convey our unique qualities so we're interesting?"

Wrong questions.

The first place to look is OUT THERE.
Take an inventory of THE NOISE.

What is the volume?
What is the variety?
What are the overlapping commonalities everyone is doing variations on?

Only by taking inventory first can you find that unique place.
Unless your goal is to be invisible.

Own that unique lane.
By first looking OUT THERE.

To own the lane that ideally becomes your unique category.

In an ideal world, you’ll be a category of one.

By the way, want to turn tomorrow (Saturday) into a secret weapon so you’re on fire Monday morning? 

Then subscribe to tomorrow’s amazing new article where I introduce “The Bigger Problem Roadmap™.” It's an exact strategy that leverages Alex Hormozi’s Value Equation for where business is headed. 

It’s free. Join here: https://lnkd.in/g2zqk58P

Inside the mind of a CEO who built a $4.6B tech giant. 

Sharing the real opportunity with AI.

Join Stu Sjouwerman, SACP and me next Thursday. 
Registration details below.

See you there.

Most companies treat AI as a toolkit.
Stu Sjouwerman, SACP treats it as an operating model.
David Brier treats it as a narrative engine.

Stu’s new book, Agent-Powered Growth, comes from an unusual vantage point:
founder and executive chairman of KnowBe4, the world’s largest security awareness platform, creator of ReadingMinds.ai, and a three-decade operator who has built and scaled billion-dollar companies through multiple technological upheavals.

His central argument: once agents understand context, autonomously test messages, and reshape narrative structure, growth stops behaving like a manual function. It becomes a governed system.

That view meets its creative counterpart in David Brier, one of the most influential brand architects of the last three decades. His work has anchored category leaders across SaaS, healthcare, CPG, and enterprise technology, and his thinking consistently anticipates how markets actually interpret meaning. Few people understand how identity, differentiation, and emotion operate in high-velocity environments the way he does.

Together, they represent both sides of the 2026 GTM equation:
the computational and the creative.

At the Agentic Singularity Summit, they will lead Agent-Powered Growth, expanding the central ideas of Agent-Led Growth into the strategic decisions facing CMOs, CROs, CEOs, and founders:

• How agent swarms run narrative and emotional research at a resolution no team can match
• How brand architecture evolves when LLMs shape first impressions before human touch
• How differentiation concentrates when creative direction and agentic optimization intertwine
• How pipeline creation becomes a computational workflow rather than a sequential funnel
• How leaders maintain narrative and strategic control when execution cycles operate continuously

Every attendee will receive a complimentary copy of Agent-Led Growth.

This session is a practical model for how growth, brand, and GTM design shift when agents become the primary interface between companies and the market.

Dec 11, 1 pm PT.
Agent-Powered Growth with Stu Sjouwerman and David Brier.
Attend free / virtual: https://lnkd.in/d_6Ppw4g

A conversation at the intersection of creative mastery and agentic system architecture, exactly where 2026 GTM will be defined.

Gainsight Momentum.io Metadata	Mindtickle Mural Webflow VelocityEngine ZoomInfo Alta | AI Revenue Workforce Deeto RevSure AI BuyerForesight Amzai Limited Amoeba AI AirOps Common Room Alysio Nooks Wrike Actively AI

#agenticsingularity

The Borden Group

At The Borden Group, our purpose is to transform businesses and executives by increasing their reach, impact, and brand marketing effectiveness, turning their brands into a powerful channel for achieving growth and fulfilling their mission.

Founder & CEO

Stealth Startup

Co-Founder 

YOUnifiedAI

YOUnifiedAI helps small to medium-sized enterprises turn disconnected tools and scattered data into one intelligent system, powered by AI. We eliminate complexity, so businesses can work smarter, move faster, and grow without limits.

Advisor

House of Lola

Founder

Forbes Agency Council

Member

Dealer Marketing Magazine

Dealer Expert Panel

Matador.ai

Advisory Board Member

LotLinx, Inc.

Vice President of Marketing

Celebrity Motor Cars, LLC

Marketing Operations Manager

Netsertive

Regional Sales Manager

Visibility isn’t luck — it’s strategy.
I build visible leaders and trusted brands that drive credibility, opportunity, and growth.

Hi, I’m Melanie. 

Not too long ago, everyone around me was losing their job, and I didn’t know where I’d turn if I lost mine.

So, I turned online. I started building my personal brand, opportunities, and business from the ground up.

I’d spent years creating marketing strategies for tech companies, retail brands, and high-growth startups, so I leveraged those same frameworks to build my own.

It worked.
I grew my visibility, reach, and revenue — and discovered that building an executive brand isn’t about vanity. It’s about strategic visibility — becoming the obvious choice in rooms that matter..

Since then, I’ve partnered with executives, founders, nonprofits, and leadership teams across industries — from emerging tech to investor-backed enterprises — to build executive visibility systems that generate measurable business outcomes.

What we do at The Borden Group goes beyond ghostwriting or positioning.
It’s a full-scale visibility and go-to-market strategy — grounded in lived experience — that combines strategy, creative, and execution.

We partner best with teams ready to move fast, stay consistent, and translate brand presence into pipeline results.

Our work helps leaders and organizations:

Sell out conferences and speaking engagements
Build new sales pipelines and accelerate go-to-market traction
Skyrocket executive visibility across tech and business media
Land board seats and advisory roles
Launch books that open doors to thought leadership and revenue
Scale internal marketing systems and content operations
Create new revenue streams aligned with business growth

If you’re a founder, operator, or investor ready to grow your company and your credibility, you’re in the right place.

My upcoming book, Theatre of the Mind, is a playbook for leaders navigating mindset, visibility, and influence.
→ Available for pre-order November 1, 2025.

Connect with me here or at www.humantobrand.com

Subscribe to my weekly newsletter: humantobrand.com/newsletter

Gain actionable insights to elevate your personal brand, amplify influence, and future-proof your leadership impact.

Melanie Borden

Nothing says “powerful female founder” like being emotionally defeated by cell C14.

Anyone else?

Melanie Borden in a patterned cardigan holding a mug with a funny Excel quote, half-hidden behind it, with a chandelier glowing in the background. A candid, relatable snapshot highlighting humor and humanity in work.

My life has taught me something you’ll want to know.

In 2005, I had my real estate license in NYC.

My motivation was driven by: ‘Operation I am never moving back in with my parents’

Back then, B2B was D2D or ‘Door to Door’
Or in my case, 'Book to Book' 

The real estate office had thousands of books for condo and co-op associations, each listing owners and their phone numbers.

So I called. and I called. and I called.
I experienced a lot of “feedback” from potential sellers.

“I’m not selling. I actually like where I live.” click.
“Even if prices go up or down, I’m not moving just to move.” click.
“I am not making a huge life decision with a child.” (I was 21).  
click.
"Hi! This is Melanie Radford"...click.

New Yorkers are a tough crowd. 
It was rough, all the negativity was getting to me. 

But, I had an idea.

I decided to start a marketing campaign: ask other brokers for advice, work their open houses, and partner with anyone who’d let me take on anything. 
Stamp envelopes, get coffee, run packages, pick up dry cleaning. Anything. 

Then part 2: a physical newsletter-turned-mini-magazine and postcards with recipes and design tips, which I mailed before I ever picked up the phone. 

The idea took off. 

I started co-listing with agents on their listings, working with buyers, and then those buyers became sellers.

“Suddenly” I was busy (and popular). 
By the end of that first year, I’d closed a few million in sales.

I WAS a real estate agent, I just didn't believe it myself yet. Until I did.

Your path expands the second you stop waiting for permission and start acting like what you’re building already exists.

The moment I changed how I saw myself everything changed. 

That’s what I now call ‘Theatre of the Mind’ a skill I have learned to hone over the years when everyone says, "How did you do that?"

You can create progress long before anyone else believes it’s possible, even yourself. But once you feel it, it's yours. 

Anything can happen after that mental switch. 😉

And P.S. I never moved back in with my parents. 
P.P.S. This job led to the start of me working in advertising.


2005, Anxiously waiting for that train back into the city.
-

P.S. If this resonated, that’s exactly what my book is about—the mindset and personal brand work that keeps your visibility real, durable, and scalable, no matter where you’re starting.

Preorder coming soon!!


Throwback photo of Melanie Borden in 2005 standing on a New York City train platform with a very “Jersey” early-2000s hairstyle, looking off to the side with a tired, reluctant expression. Captures the early chapter of her reinvention journey—before personal branding, visibility strategy, and Theatre of the Mind shaped her career. A moment that reflects resilience, future-proofing, and learning to market herself long before her executive presence work began

My number one referral source these days isn’t LinkedIn or people...it’s machines.

I didn’t expect that sentence or this story to ever be real, but here we are. 

Four years ago, my marketing strategy was simple:
Show up on LinkedIn. Stay consistent. Build relationships. 
Build a brand strong enough to survive uncertainty.

In hindsight it was a bad strategy to rely on one platform. 

But the strategy worked until it didn’t. That “didn’t” period finally hit me in early 2025.
I remember sitting at my desk thinking, ‘Is this it? Did I break my own brand that I have invested thousands of hours into?’

My number one lead source was failing me, and I was stuck.

So I did what I always do when I’m backed into a corner: I researched. I studied. I had to figure it out. 

Then I found a few problems. The one we are talking about today: I wasn't evolving with the times. 
(and the times are moving fast)

Large language models were finding me, but they couldn’t clearly tell what I do.
So I got to work.

And then something crazy started happening.
On discovery calls and in LINKEDIN DMs, people started telling me the same thing:

“I found you through ChatGPT.”
 “I saw you sourced on Reddit.”
 “You came up in an AI search.”
YESTERDAY: "When I asked ChatGPT to evaluate the strongest PR and visibility partner for my goals, here is the exact recommendation provided:" (I was # 1) 

At first I thought: holy sh*t, maybe it worked.
But then it kept happening.

Your personal brand isn’t just talking to people anymore.
It’s talking to machines and the machines are talking back.

It brought me right back to 2020/2021, when I first started posting on LinkedIn and the inbound trickled in with: “Will you do for me what you did for yourself?”

Only now, it’s happening at scale. 

Visibility has officially entered a different era.
It’s no longer just about who follows you on LinkedIn.
 
It’s about how well machines understand you, categorize you, and recommend you.

Machines don’t refer what you aspire to be.
They refer what you’ve proven over time.

I built those signals long before I understood how AI would use them or even understood what AI is; and now they’re working on my behalf, 24/7.

Your distribution of content helps builds your audience. 
Your consistency with that distribution helps build your reputation. 
But speaking clearly about what you do?

That’s what machines pick up on and amplify.

If you want to future-proof your career: Don’t just show up so people understand you. 

Show up so machines can’t misunderstand you. 

Has AI ever “recommended” a partner to you? 

-
I go much deeper into this in my upcoming book, Theatre of the Mind, in a chapter called “Searchable Leadership.” It’s on the way!!

—with East Coast oysters and a French Burgundy red and white from a few weeks ago (curated by my dinner date, not a machine).

Melanie Borden sits at a white table with a glass of French Burgundy red and white framed by a clean french backdrop that mirrors her minimalist personal brand aesthetic. She looks toward the camera with a calm, confident expression, embodying executive presence and leadership visibility. The visual supports a story about how her number one referral source is no longer LinkedIn or people, but machines and large language models like ChatGPT. This image represents AI-era personal branding, “searchable leadership,” and being discoverable by machines as well as humans. Melanie’s posture and setting suggest a founder in deep strategic work—refining positioning, clarifying her message, and building an AI-ready brand ecosystem that works 24/7. The contrast of the rich red and white wines and a background adds a sophisticated, editorial feel aligned with her Theatre of the Mind book and her work helping leaders future-proof their careers through clarity, consistency, and reinvention.

I’ve watched market-defining leaders, people with decades of wins, freeze over when publishing a newsletter, LinkedIn post, or appearing on a podcast.

Not because they didn’t have anything to say.

But because they couldn’t guarantee how it would "land"

**Enter: The abyss of the unknown.** Imagine the Law & Order ‘DUN-DUN’ right here.

I have been here more than I want to admit, mainly when I worked for someone else.

“Does this sound like me?”
“Is this how people see me?”
“How will this change…?”
“What if…?”

That loop is what keeps a lot of accomplished people invisible online. 

*Especially* the ones who have been successful in their careers without a digital footprint.

Here’s how I’d reframe it for you:

Number 1. The people you lead already see you as influential.

Number 2. The people around you already expect you to have a voice and a perspective, not just a title. 

Number 3.  Your influence doesn’t just come from your decisions; it comes from how you show up.

Number 4. Those who don’t know you are already using your online presence to validate your credibility. 

Last one: there are “guardrails” that you will follow or create for yourself, but don’t restrict yourself SO much that you end up showing up as someone else. 

Most of this is basic in theory, but the moment we have to share our own voice, many times everything shifts, and all of a sudden it's not so straightforward.

The only way to work through it is to go through it.

So, if you were looking for a sign this week, consider this it. 

What’s one post, story, or message you’ve been sitting on because you weren’t sure how it would be received?

Melanie Borden wearing a white blazer and jeans, standing against a clean, neutral backdrop with a calm, reflective expression. The image represents the internal hesitation many high-achieving executives feel when using their voice publicly—publishing a newsletter, a LinkedIn post, or showing up on a podcast. The thoughtful pose mirrors the psychology of visibility: fear of misalignment, worry about perception, and the mental spiral that keeps accomplished leaders silent. This visual supports Melanie’s message about executive presence, personal brand clarity, and learning to show up despite discomfort.


If you haven't seen me a lot lately, know I'm on a call somewhere, improvising.

We make it work and, somehow, it always does.

What’s the thing you’re “making work” this week?

P.S. Random household items will forever be my favorite computer stands.
P.P.S. More book content is on its way…!

Melanie Borden sits at her laptop in a bright, modern workspace, symbolizing the freedom and credibility she’s built through her personal brand. The image reflects the evolution from doubt to proof—five years after being told personal brands weren’t real and remote work was just a phase. The scene conveys confidence, clarity, and momentum, capturing the message that results speak louder than opinions. It reinforces the power of visibility, consistency, and belief in your own path as the foundation of a successful remote personal brand.


Not everyone will understand why you show up on LinkedIn, and that used to bother me.

People around you, even in 2026, still won't understand:

1. why you show up online
2. why you care about your visibility
3. or why you’re investing time in platform(s) “when you have a job”

They won't understand what you’re called to do no matter how much you explain it. 

I lost count years ago on how many conversations I have had on this topic.

Take my word for it, please start, don't stop, and let them watch how you take the lead. 

Also: save this post for the days you need it or share it with someone who needs a reminder. 🤍

What are you building right now that others won’t understand until later?

A bold text graphic about LinkedIn visibility, employee-led content, and trusting your own direction when others question your presence online. The message encourages confidence, clarity, and personal brand growth.

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The Battle

David Brier

Melanie Borden

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Performance ScoreDavid Brier's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreMelanie Borden's LinkedIn Performance

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taplio

The Battle

David Brier

Melanie Borden

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}David Brier's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreMelanie Borden's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreDavid Brier's LinkedIn Performance